February, the month dedicated to the Passion of Our Lord

In Tours, France during the 1840's a young Carmelite nun, SisterMarie de Saint-Pierre (1816-1848), received a series of revelationsfrom Our Lord about a powerful devotion He wished to be establishedworldwide - the devotion to his Holy Face. The express purpose ofthis devotion was to make reparation for the blasphemies and outragesof 'Revolutionary men' (the Communists), as well as for theblasphemies of atheists and freethinkers and others, plus, forblasphemy and the profanation of Sundays by Christians.

We read in her autobiography:"Then he unfolded his Heart to me, concentrating therein the powersof my soul, and addressed me thus: 'My Name is everywhere blasphemed,even little children blaspheme it.' And he made me understand how thatdreadful sin pierced and wounded his Heart, more than all othercrimes. By blasphemy, the sinner outrages him to his Face, attackshim openly, and pronounces upon himself his own judgment andcondemnation. Blasphemy is a poisoned arrow, wounding his DivineHeart continually; he told me that he would give me a "golden arrow"with which to wound him delightfully and heal the poisonous woundscaused by sin."

Our Lord then dictated to Sr. Mary the following prayer as a GoldenArrow assuring her that every time she said it, she would wound hisHeart most lovingly.

This prayer is regarded as the very basis of the Work of Reparation.

THE GOLDEN ARROW PRAYER

May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable, most incomprehensibleand ineffable Name of God be forever praised, blessed, loved, adored,and glorified in heaven, on earth and in hell, by all the creatures ofGod, and by the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Most HolySacrament of the Altar. Amen.

Our Lord told Sr. Mary on March 16, 1844, "Oh if you only knew whatgreat merit you acquire by saying even once, 'Admirable is the Nameof God,' in the spirit of reparation for blasphemy."

Promises of Our Lord to Sr. Mary of St. Peter

- "By my Holy Face you shall work wonders." (October 27, 1845)- "All those who honor My Holy Face in a spirit of reparation will byso doing perform the office of the pious Veronica." (October 27, 1845)- "According to your care you take in making Reparation to my Face,disfigured by blasphemies, so will I take care of yours, which hasbeen disfigured by sin. I will reprint my image and render it asbeautiful as it was on leaving the baptismal font." (November 3,1845)- "Our Lord has promised me for all those who defend His cause inthis Work of Reparation, by words, by prayers, or in writing, that Hewill defend them before His Father; at their death He will purifytheir souls by effacing all the blots of sin and will restore to themtheir primitive beauty." (March 12, 1846)- "By my Holy Face you will obtain the conversion of many sinners.Nothing that you ask in making this offering will be refused to you.No one can know how pleasing the sight of my Face is to my Father!"(November 22, 1846)

- "Our Lord has promised me that He will imprint His Divine likenesson the souls of those who honor His Holy Countenance." (January 21,1847)

VENERABLE LEO DUPONT

Around the same time Sr. Mary was receiving her visions, the saintlyMonsieur Leo Dupont (1797-1876), inspired by the Holy Ghost throughSr. Mary's example, decided to dedicate his life to this work. Hekept an oil lamp burning continuously before an image of the HolyFace, and his home became a center of pilgrimage when people began togather to pray before the image, with many receiving miraculous curesthrough the application of his lamp's oil to their skin. Thesemiracles continued for 30 years and were so numerous that Pope PiusIX declared Leo Dupont to be perhaps one of the greatest miracleworkers in Church history!

He was later recognized by the Church as a "Venerable." He is nowknown familiarly as "The Holy Man of Tours."

While devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus has always existed in someform or another, these revelations and miraculous occurrences lead tothis special devotion being established by Pope Leo XIII in 1885 as anArchconfraternity; and contrary to custom, He immediately establishedit for the ENTIRE WORLD.

ST. THERESE AND THE HOLY FACESaint Therese of Lisieux was also very dedicated to this devotion,which prompted her to take the name, "Therese of the Child Jesus andof the Holy Face".It is said that this devotion brought St Therese of Lisieux, "theLittle Flower", to her great sanctity.She and her family were registered as members of theArchconfraternity of Reparation to the Holy Face at Tours France.

THE HOLY FACE MEDAL

SISTER MARIA PIERINA(from The Image of the Holy Shroud)

The Blessed Maria Pierina de Micheli, a holy nun who died in 1945(beatified May 30, 2010), was urged in many visions by the BlessedMother and Jesus Himself to spread the devotion to the Holy Face, inreparation for the many insults Jesus suffered in His Passion, suchas to be slapped, spit upon and kissed by Judas, as well as now beingdishonored in many ways in the Blessed Sacrament by neglect,sacrileges and profanations.

Jesus showed Himself to her often, sad and bleeding, asking her forreparation thus increasing in her the desire to suffer and toimmolate herself for the salvation of souls. During the nightadoration of the First Friday in Lent in 1936, Jesus, after havingmade her participate in the mental sorrow of the agony in the Gardenof Gethsemani, with His Face covered with blood and profoundly sad,told her: "I wish that my Face, which reflects the deep pains of mySoul, the sorrow and love of my Heart, be better honored: whocontemplates me consoles me. ' On the Tuesday following PassionSunday, Jesus returned to her and said, 'every time my Face iscontemplated, I will pour out my love into the heart of those personsand by means of My Holy Face the salvation of many souls will beobtained."

These manifestations became more and more frequent and in May 1938,whilst at prayer on the step of the Altar, a beautiful Lady appearedto her carrying in her hand a Scapular, made of two pieces of flanneljoined by a cord. One of these pieces bore the image from the HolyShroud and the inscription: "Illumina, Domine, Vultum Tuum Super Nos"(May, O Lord, the light of Thy Face shine upon us). On the other piecewas a radiant Host, with the words, "Mane Nobiscum, Domine" (Stay withus, O Lord).

Gently the lady approached and said: "Listen carefully and reporteverything to the Father : This Scapular is an armorof defense, a shield of strength, a token of the love and mercy whichJesus wishes to give the world in these times of lust and hatredagainst God and His Church. Diabolical nets are thrown to wrench theFaith from hearts, evils abound, true apostles are few, and theremedy is the Holy Face of Jesus. All who wear a Scapular like thisand make, if possible, every Tuesday a visit to the BlessedSacrament, in order to repair the outrages which the face of my sonJesus received during His Passion and receives every day in the HolyEucharist, will be strengthened in Faith, prompt to defend it and toovercome all difficulties internal and external. Further they willhave a peaceful death under the loving gaze of my Divine Son."

The same year Jesus appeared again covered with blood and with muchsadness said: "See how I suffer. Nevertheless I am understood by sofew. What ingratitude on the part of those who say they love me. Ihave given my heart as a sensible object of my great love for man andI give My Face as a sensible object of my sorrow for the sins of man,I desire that it be honored by a special feast on Tuesday inQuinquagesima. The feast will be preceded by a novena in which thefaithful make reparation with me uniting themselves with my sorrow."In 1939 Jesus said again: "I wish that My Holy Face he honored in aparticular manner on Tuesdays."

Mother Pierina felt the desire of Our Blessed Lady, manifested toher, very pressing. She obtained permission from her spiritualDirector and though means were wanting, she set about the task ofhaving a medal cast. She obtained the permission of the photographerBruner to take copies of the Holy Shroud as reproduced by him, andalso the permission of the venerable Curia of Milan on the 9th August1940. Financial means were still wanting, but the confidence of theReverend Mother made up for it. One morning she found on her desk anenvelope with the exact amount of the bill -- 11,200 lire. OurBlessed Lady had seen to it.

The devil, maddened at this, fell upon this soul to frighten it andprevent the distribution of the medals: he threw her down in thecorridor and down the steps: he tore the images and pictures of theHoly Face, but she bore up everything. She tolerated and sacrificedall in order that thus the Holy Face may be honored.

Mother Pierina was worried because she got medals made instead ofscapulars. She turned to Our Blessed Lady to obtain peace of mind inthe matter. On the 17th of April, 1943 the Blessed Virgin appeared toher and said: "My daughter, be calm, the Scapulars have beensubstituted by the medal with the same promises and favors. It onlyremains to be distributed widely. Just now my heart is set on thefeast of the Face of My Divine Son. Tell the Pope that it preoccupiesme." She blessed her and departed.

The first medal of the Holy Face was offered to Pope Pius XII whoapproved the devotion and the medal. On April 17th, 1958, he declaredthe Tuesday before Ash Wednesday (Shrove Tuesday) as the Feast of theHoly Face of Jesus.

As revealed to Mother Pierina, Tuesday is a day of reparation to theHoly Face, particularly before the Blessed Sacrament. All areencouraged make a visit to the Blessed Sacrament.

Shrove Tuesday in 2012 will be on February 21.

NOVENA TO THE HOLY FACE

Start the novena on Septuagesima Sunday -- two Sundays before AshWednesday -- February 12 this year.(The novena can be said anytime -- say once a day for 9 days)

O Lord Jesus Christ, in presenting ourselves before Thine adorableFace, to ask of Thee the graces of which we stand in most need, webeseech Thee above all, to grant us that interior disposition ofnever refusing at any time to what Thou requirest of us by Thy holycommandments and divine inspirations. Amen.

O Good Jesus, who hadst said, "Ask and you shall receive, seek and yeshall find, knock and it shall be opened to you," grant us O Lord,that faith which obtains all, or supply in us what may be deficient;grant us, by the pure effect of Thy charity, and for Thine eternalglory, the graces which we need and which we look from Thine infinitemercy. Amen.

Be merciful to us, O my God, and reject not our prayers, when amidour afflictions, we call upon Thy Holy Name and seek with love andconfidence Thine adorable Face. Amen.

O Almighty and Eternal God, look upon the Face of Thy Son Jesus. Wepresent It to Thee with confidence to implore Thy pardon. TheAll-Merciful Advocate opens His mouth to plead our cause; hearken toHis cries, behold His tears, O God, and through His infinite merits,hearken to Him when He intercedes for us poor miserable sinners.Amen.

Adorable Face of Jesus, my only love, my light, and my life, grantthat I may know Thee, love Thee and serve Thee alone, that I may livewith Thee, of Thee, by Thee and for Thee. Amen.

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the adorable Face of Thy Beloved Son forthe honor and glory of Thy Name, for the conversion of sinners and thesalvation of the dying. O Divine Jesus, through Thy Face and Name,save us. Our Hope is in the virtue of Thy Holy Name! Amen.

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Prayer of St. Therese of the Child Jesus to the Holy Face

O Jesus, who in Thy bitter Passion didst become "the most abject ofmen, a man of sorrows", I venerate Thy Sacred Face whereon there oncedid shine the beauty and sweetness of the Godhead; but now it hasbecome for me as if it were the face of a leper! Nevertheless, underthose disfigured features, I recognize Thy infinite Love and I amconsumed with the desire to love Thee and make Thee loved by all men.The tears which well up abundantly in Thy sacred eyes appear to me asso many precious pearls that I love to gather up, in order topurchase the souls of poor sinners by means of their infinite value.O Jesus, whose adorable Face ravishes my heart, I implore Thee to fixdeep within me Thy divine image and to set me on fire with Thy Love,that I may be found worthy to come to the contemplation of Thyglorious Face in Heaven. Amen.

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The "Golden Arrow - The Revelations of Sr. Mary of St. Peter" and"The Holy Man of Tours - The Life of Leo Dupont" is available fromwww.tanbooks.com.